London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Heston and Isleworth 1952
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Heston and Isleworth]
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was taken of the scheme. The actual issues in the Borough, expressed as a percentage of the possible issue, during certain periods of 1952 are shown below:—
| Orange Juice | Cod Liver Oil | A and D Tablets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 weeks to 23/2/52 | 40.5 | 35.0 | 38.5 |
| 13 weeks to 31/5/52 | 43.1 | 31.4 | 39.0 |
| 13 weeks to 30/8/52 | 49.0 | 24.9 | 38.3 |
| 13 weeks to 30/11/52 | 41.7 | 30.6 | 38.6 |
Milk is available free to all school children. Meals at a low cost, or free if the family circumstances warrant it, are provided at all schools maintained by the Education Authority. Checks made by the Education Department at various times show, as under, the extent to which advantage is taken of this p[rovision of milk and meals:—
| No. of pupils present | % taking milk | % taking meals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| October, 1951 | 12,832 | 81.1 | 54.5 |
| February, 1952 | 12,291 | 79.7 | 54.4 |
| June, 1952 | 12,410 | 83.9 | 51.7 |
| October, 1952 | 12,832 | 81.1 | 53.3 |
The following information is extracted from Ministry of Food Bulletin No. 691 and shows the meat consumption in Great Britain during the years 1946-1952:—
| Carcase Meat | Canned Coined Meat (tons) | Total (tons) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ration Quality (tons) | Manufacturing Quality (tons) | |||
| 1946 | 1,381,600 | 149,800 | 132,100 | 1,663,500 |
| 1947 | 1,334,300 | 145,300 | 150,900 | 1,630,500 |
| 1948 | 1,266,100 | 150,900 | 88,300 | 1,505,300 |
| 1949 | 1,236,400 | 140,200 | 50,900 | 1,427,500 |
| 1950 | 1,402,400 | 284,700 | 62,800 | 1,749,900 |
| 1951 | 1,032,700 | 180,900 | 38,700 | 1,252,300 |
| 1952 | 1.183,400 | 204,300 | 2,400 | 1,390,100 |
In Ministry of Food Bulletin No. 701 a table shows the sources from which supplies of the main foods and feeding stuffs in the United Kingdom were derived before the war, in 1951 and 1952. The following information has been extracted from that table:—
| Supplies Available ('000 tons) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-war | 1951 | 1952 | |
| Wheat and flour | 6,361 | 6,301 | 6,050 |
| Oats | 2,057 | 2,722 | 2,907 |
| Barley | 1,654 | 3,152 | 3,466 |
| Sugar | 2,480 | 2,747 | 2,560 |
| Carcase meat and offal | 2,160 | 1,457 | 1,581 |
| Bacon and ham | 561 | 436 | 537 |
| Butter | 526 | 323 | 274 |
| Cheese | 186 | 238 | 192 |
| Eggs in shell | 547 | 571 | 540 |
While restrictions on the availability of food continue it is important that the nutritive values of the
various foods should be appreciated so as to use them to best advantage and that, owing to the great
expansion of community feeding, the best methods of cooking on a large scale should be used. This information
is presented in a simple and practical way in the Manual of Nutrition published by Her Majesty's
Stationery Office (2/-) and should be studied by all concerned in large scale catering. The maintenance
and even improvement, of the general level of nutrition despite years of rationing indicates that quantity
is not the sole consideration and that a careful selection of essential foods in balanced proportions is
important.
HOUSING
rearing of children difficult for the married. The numbers of new houses erected in the Borough in recent
years are shown below:—
| 1948 | 1949 | 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heston and Isleworth B.C. | 151 | 90 | 196 | 220 | 162 |
| Brentford and Chiswick B.C. | 14 | — | - | — | — |
| Southall B.C. | 54 | — | — | — | — |
| Middlesex County Council | — | — | — | 4 | — |
| Ministry of Civil Aviation | 39 | 30 | — | 8 | — |
| Metropolitan Police | — | — | — | — | 12 |
| private enterprise— | |||||
| (a) new houses | 4 | 18 | 36 | 23 | 24 |
| 41 | 23 | 1 | |||
| — | — | — | — | 50 | |
| 303 | 161 | 232 | 255 | 249 | |